The scientific method

March 20, 2013

The "scientific method" is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena and acquiring new knowledge as well as for correcting and integrating previous knowledge. It is based on gathering observable, empirical, measurable evidence, subject to specific principles of reasoning.

The process must be objective to reduce a biased interpretation of the results. Another basic expectation is to document all data and methodology so it is available for careful scrutiny by other scientists, thereby allowing other researchers the opportunity to verify results by attempting to reproduce them. This allows statistical measures of the reliability of these data to be established."

Nowhere in the scientific process does it say harass, label or call people who disagree with you names, that television ads or AP articles are scientific fact, or that it's all George Bush's fault.

Maybe some writers of letters to the editor should take this into consideration when they say we eat too much meat, or you're uneducated if you disagree with them or even go so far as to say we need to act now when they have no factual basis to make their claims. Where's the observable, measurable evidence? Was it evaluated in an objective unbiased manner so that can reproduce the results using the same data as the original scientist(s)? Those were rhetorical questions as I already know the answers to them.

Pick any issue, global warming/climate change, wolves, gun control, health care. It won't matter because a liberal will always attack or demean any source, call them names or place labels on them, distract from the issue and never really debate the facts. My previous letters and subsequent responses, including those from alleged educators, demonstrate that. Whether we gather information faster than wisdom doesn't excuse anyone from using the scientific method to prove theories and facts.

Any "manufactured science" is an embarrassment to our scientific community. To say it global warming is caused by manmade activity, without a factual basis, does not relate to the scientific method. Fact: Volcanoes have spewed more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere that mankind ever produced. Fact: Solar and wind power are not "alternative" energies. They can only be supplemental as they are nowhere nearly as efficient in making energy like oil, coal, natural gas and nuclear power.

I'm not writing to convince anyone who "believes" in global warming/climate change but to prevent others from falling for such tripe when there is not enough facts to make their assertions.